Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Arrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Arrest: $1,800 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Arrest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Arrest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,800 in Arrest.

Lisbon $2,210
Arrest $1,800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,757 in Arrest.

Lisbon $3,275
Arrest $2,757

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,713 in Arrest.

Lisbon $4,341
Arrest $3,713

Living in Lisbon is roughly 23% more expensive than in Arrest.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Arrest 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$16.82 €15.11

-1.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$56.2 €50.5

9.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$13.24 €11.90

-14.20%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.06

$3.05 €2.74

-24.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.08 €1.87

-16.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$8.52 €7.66

-60.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.57 €5.00

-40.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.30 €1.17

-10.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.69 €1.52

13.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.49 €2.24

-39.36%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.92 €3.52

2.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$10.07 €9.05

28.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$12.03 €10.80

-35.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$15.92 €14.30

11.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.99 €2.68

-23.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$3.03 €2.72

-42.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.46 €1.31

27.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.20 €3.78

-38.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.83 €1.65

-0.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.08 €1.87

-5.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.62 €1.46

-9.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.16 €0.14

350.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$12.64 €11.35

-47.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$5.56 €4.99

0.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.43 €1.28

-4.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.59 €1.43

34.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.94 €1.74

20.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$50.4 €45.31

-11.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.27 €2.04

69.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.14 €1.03

-6.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$32.61 €29.30

-49.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.17 €1.95

1.38%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.2K €30.7K

$34.9K €31.3K

-2.01%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.7K €34.8K

$35.8K €32.2K

8.10%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$161 €145

$200 €180

-19.40%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.41 €16.54

$32.60 €29.28

-43.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$31.74 €28.51

3.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$40.19 €36.10

10.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$15.48 €13.91

-37.98%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$668 €600

$889 €799

-24.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$10.6K €9,481

66.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$129 €116

-20.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$46.35 €41.63

-4.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$98.9 €88.8

-0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$158 €142

-21.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$825 €741

94.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$626 €563

89.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,536 €1,380

83.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,160 €1,042

73.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$3,727 €3,348

110.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$3,368 €3,026

35.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.9

-1.28%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Arrest: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Arrest

$626 34.8% 47.4% $564

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Arrest

$293 16.3% 7.6% $21

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Arrest

$284 15.8% 17.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Arrest

$264 14.7% 24.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Arrest

$195 10.8% 17.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Arrest

$71 4% 11.6% $7.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Arrest

$66 3.7% 4.7% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $825 in Arrest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $56 in Arrest. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $293, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇷 Arrest

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

00:45 12:45 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

900

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Arrest 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Arrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,700 in Arrest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $825 in Arrest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $889 in Arrest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Arrest gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Arrest are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.